US 12,279,929 B2
Intraoral 3D scanning system using structured light projection
Ofer Saphier, Rechovot (IL); Yossef Atiya, Modiin-Maccabim-Reut (IL); Arkady Rudnitsky, Rehovot (IL); Nir Makmel, Tel Aviv (IL); Sergei Ozerov, Ofra (IL); Tal Verker, Ofra (IL); and Tal Levy, Rehovot (IL)
Assigned to Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/485,222.
Application 18/485,222 is a continuation of application No. 17/826,016, filed on May 26, 2022, granted, now 11,826,225.
Application 17/826,016 is a continuation of application No. 16/446,181, filed on Jun. 19, 2019, granted, now 11,896,461.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/778,192, filed on Dec. 11, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/775,787, filed on Dec. 5, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/689,006, filed on Jun. 22, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0138961 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. A61C 9/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/24 (2006.01); G02B 27/42 (2006.01); G06T 7/521 (2017.01); G06T 7/586 (2017.01); G06T 7/80 (2017.01); G06T 17/00 (2006.01); H04N 9/31 (2006.01)
CPC A61C 9/006 (2013.01) [A61B 1/00096 (2013.01); A61B 1/00172 (2013.01); A61B 1/00193 (2013.01); A61B 1/24 (2013.01); G02B 27/4222 (2013.01); G02B 27/4227 (2013.01); G06T 7/521 (2017.01); G06T 7/586 (2017.01); G06T 7/80 (2017.01); G06T 7/85 (2017.01); G06T 17/00 (2013.01); H04N 9/3161 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10024 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10028 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10052 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30036 (2013.01)] 32 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A dental scanning system for generating a digital three-dimensional (3D) representation of a dental object, the dental scanning system comprising:
an intraoral scanning device comprising:
an elongate handheld wand including a probe at a distal end of the elongate handheld wand;
one or more light projectors disposed in a distal end of the probe and configured to project a non-coded structured light pattern on a surface of the dental object, wherein the non-coded structured light pattern comprises a plurality of pattern features; and
two or more cameras disposed in the distal end of the probe and configured to acquire one or more sets of images, wherein each set of images comprises at least one image from each camera, wherein each image includes one or more image features of at least a portion of the projected non-coded structured light pattern, and wherein the images within a set of images are acquired simultaneously; and
one or more processors configured to:
solve a correspondence problem within each set of images such that points in 3D space are determined based on the one or more image features, wherein said points form a solution to the correspondence problem, and wherein the correspondence problem is solved for one or more pattern features of the plurality of pattern features; and
generate the digital 3D representation of the dental object, wherein the solution to the correspondence problem is used to generate the digital 3D representation of the dental object.